King quits as Windies coach - report

Bennett King has quit as coach of the West Indies after the team's dismal World Cup campaign, it was reported here on Monday.

The 42-year-old Australian, who had been in charge of the national team since 2004, left just a day after skipper Brian Lara made his tearful farewell to international cricket.

In another blow for the West Indies, fast bowler Ian Bradshaw also announced his international retirement.

"King gave up his job as coach," West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) director Jackie Hendriks told The Gleaner newspaper.

"He has offered to stay on for a month to help with the setting up of the academy."

King is the fourth high-profile World Cup coach to resign following England's Duncan Fletcher, India's Greg Chappell and Dav Whatmore of Bangladesh.

There were unconfirmed reports that WICB president Ken Gordon has also resigned.

The West Indies, who won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, enjoyed an impressive start to the 2007 tournament they were hosting for the first time by winning all three of their first round games.

But their campaign fell to pieces in the Super Eights where they managed just one win against Bangaldesh before losing their final match by one wicket to England in Barbados on Saturday.

King took over from Gus Logie as coach in 2004 and had already said he would reconsider his position after the World Cup.

Bradshaw, who was in and out of the team during the competition, played five Tests and 62 one-day internationals, taking 78 wickets.

With the West Indies set to tour England starting in May, King is understood to have recommended that his assistant David Moore take over.